Discovering Darjeeling Himalayan Railway: A Journey Through India’s Enchanting Hill Stations

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway built in 1879 is the most notable achievement of the British. Today the Darjeeling Railway or DHR is a World Heritage Site. The Himalayan Railway is also known as the Darjeeling Toy Train. This toy train runs from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling station

The toy train lines like the narrow feet that run along the Hillcut Road on the hill create wonder in the minds of tourists. The speed of this himalayan train of two feet narrow gauge is plodding. It can also be easily transferred from moving trains.

And if we go at a slower pace on this train, maybe there is an opportunity to see the lifestyle of the local people and get to know them

History of Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

DHR Important Year	DHR Incidents
1879	The Lieutenant-Governor of Bengal Ashley Eden opened the railway from Kurseong to Darjeeling in July and renamed the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Company.
1880	The Viceroy of India, Lord Lytton, visited it. The rail line was opened to the public from Siliguri to Karshiang in August after Lord Lytton’s visit in March
1881	Batasia Loop is constructed to fix the sloping from Darjeeling to Ghum station. This year the first bus service started from Siliguri to Darjeeling so passengers could reach Darjeeling in less time. It takes at least one and a half hours less by bus
1891	Enlarging and rebuilding of Darjeeling station started
1899	A major cyclone on 23rd September this year damaged many parts of Darjeeling and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was closed for several months.
1919	Batasia Loop is constructed to fix the sloping from Darjeeling to Ghum station. This year the first bus service started from Siliguri to Darjeeling so that passengers can reach Darjeeling in less time. It takes at least one and a half hours less by bus
1948	The government of India purchased DHR this year.  The line is absorbed into the Indian Railways organisation.
1999	DHR granted “World Heritage” status by UNESCO – only the second railway in the World to receive such recognition

Technological Wonder Darjeeling Himalayan Railway

The DHR is a great example of the use of engineering technology. Here the Darjeeling Railway track is built without cutting the hill without making a tunnel, only by exploiting the sloping of the hill.

Sometimes they made a loop around the hill to fix this slope. A classic example of this loop is the Batasia loop. The Himalayan Railway has six z-reverses and three loops. Steam-powered rail engines helped propel the train along this hilly route.

DHR runs on both steam and diesel engines. Four modern diesel-powered Trains operate daily Kurseong-Darjeeling train services powered by British-built B-class steam locomotives. The headquarters of DHR is Kurshiang

In 2011, there was a landslide near Kurseong and the toy train service to Darjeeling was temporarily stopped. The service of the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway was resumed from New Jalpaiguri to Darjeeling in December 2011.

Stations of Darjeeling Himalayan Railways

New Jalpaiguri-Siliguri Town-Siliguri Junction-Sukna-Rongtong-Tindharia-Gayabari-Mahanadi-Kurseong-Tung-Sonada-Ghum-Darjeeling

Kurseong height in feet

Kurseong is a hill station (and sub-divisional town) in the Darjeeling district of West Bengal, India. Located at an altitude of 1458 metres (4864 ft)

UNESCO World Heritage Site Darjeeling Himalayan Rail

UNESCO declared DHR as a World Heritage Site in 1999. This railway is a Second World Heritage Site. The first is the Semmering Railway in Austria. The importance of this Himalayan toy train to the people of Darjeeling is immense.

Darjeeling’s popularity and popularity spread only after this railway connection. The Indian Railway Museum proposed to UNESCO in 1998 to recognize the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway as a World Heritage Site.

The place where toy trains are run

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway runs between New Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling, West Bengal India

As a result, UNESCO declared it as a World Heritage Site in 1999. Darjeeling Himalayan Railway fulfils the conditions to become a World Heritage site because its contribution to the socio-cultural and economic development of the people of Darjeeling is undeniable.

Darjeeling is one of the most popular travel destinations for travellers. A trip through DHR or Himalaya toy train offers tourists a view of Kanchenjunga on the one hand. At the same time, the hilly area home to beautiful green tea gardens lends itself to a mesmerizing environment.

Tourist facilities along DHR

1. Railway Museum at Ghum
2. DHR Archives at Kurseong Station
3. Museum at Elysia Place, Kurseong
4. Photo gallery at Sukna Railway Station

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Booking

To travel, Seats on these trains can be booked online at http://www.irctc.co.in or in person at Indian Railways computerised reservation counters, authorised centres or at DHR stations at Darjeeling, Ghum, Kurseong, New Jalpaiguri or Siliguri Junction. Darjeeling train stations

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Fare

There are daily round trips between Ghum and Darjeeling. On the way, all the major attractions of Darjeeling will be covered. The train will stop at Batasia Loop for 10 min and at Ghum station for 30 min. Darjeeling railway station is the destination of Darjeeling steam train

Train No	Dep. Time	From	To	Arrival	1st Class C.C	AC Chair car
52541	10.00	NJP	Darjeeling	17.30	Rs. 1400/-	Rs. 1500/-
52540	09.00	Darjeeling	NJP	16.30	Rs. 1400/-	Rs. 1500/-

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway Route

This narrow gauge is 2 feet (610 mm) wide and about 88 km long railway track to Darjeeling. The elevation level varies from 328 feet in New Jalpaiguri to 6821 feet in Darjeeling with its highest of 7407 feet in Ghum railway Station. Darjeeling railway station name…

Darjeeling Himalayan Railway UNESCO World Heritage Site Contact

Conclusion

So in this blog, I discussed about DHR with all the details and the booking procedure. this may be considered an essay on the Darjeeling Toy Train

🅵🅰🆀

• 
  Siliguri to Tinchuley Distance, Route, and Travel Guide October 2025
• 
  Sitong Tour Plan 2025 | Sitong Tourist Places | Best Homestay in Sittong | North Bengal Tour
• 
  Sittong Temperature Overview|Guide to Weather & Best Travel Times (2025)
• 
  Siliguri to Tabakoshi Distance: How Far? [55-58] KM & Travel Time
• 
  Panbudara View Point | Offbeat Places in Kalimpong | Panbu Dara Travel Guide
• 
  5 Star Nature: Enjoy the Pristine Beauty of Namthing Pokhri!